New Zealanders are spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches. Some swear by those on the gentle waters of the Bay of Islands, others by the more rugged Coromandel peninsula. Two factors, however, point to Kaiteriteri: the many hours of sunshine and a mineral structure that has created the most golden of sands. It is near Motueka, a popular summer resort, and there are shops, restaurants, playgrounds, boats for hire, even mini-golf close by. This is ideal for families but it may be too busy for some. No worries; this is the gateway to the Abel Tasman national park. You can hike or kayak around the coast and find a golden beach of your very own.

Where to book:All-Ways Pacific (01494 432747) has flights to New Zealand from £680pp. Half-board at the Motueka River Lodge from £139pp per night.

Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos

It is not just the soft white sands that make the best Caribbean beaches so attractive. The surrounding coral reefs ensure that the shallow water is suitably turquoise. Grace Bay in the Turks and Caicos is a 12-mile stretch of palm-fringed sand. The islands are thought to have been the first calling point in the New World for Columbus; but they remain well away from the main Caribbean beat, which means low-scale tourist development and few to kick sand in your face.

Where to book:Caribbean Islands Club (020-8232 9781). A week at Sibonne, an intimate hotel on Grace Bay, costs from £1,450pp.

Pinks Sands, Harbour Island, Bahamas

Harbour Island is one of the most attractive of the Bahamian Out Islands. It is a place apart - you either catch a fast ferry from Nassau or fly to north Eleuthera and take a water taxi. You can stroll right around the island comfortably before breakfast; and you ought to, if only to walk on the three-mile-long pink sand beach - as the sun rises, the sands glisten in the early rays. You may well be on your own because there are just two hotels along this stretch.

Where to book:Discover the Bahamas (01737 218803). Seven nights at the Pink Sands hotel from £2,041pp; and seven nights at the Coral Sands from £1,088pp.

Grand Anse, La Digue, Seychelles

La Digue is another island without an airstrip, and it has as many oxcarts as small vans. Whether you visit for a day (it's a half-hour ferry ride from Praslin) or stay at the island's informal lodge, it is a good idea to hire a bike and cycle across to Grand Anse - the beach you will have seen in a thousand brochures. It lies at the apex of a valley and is bordered by granite outcrops: the pink rock has been sculpted by nature into boulders, which appear to have been strewn at random. You need to be wary of the surf as the Indian Ocean pounds into the bay; nevertheless, it is a place of exceptional beauty.

Where to book:Kuoni (01306 743000). Five nights' half-board at La Digue Island Lodge costs from £1,265pp.

Marble Hill Strand, Co Donegal, Ireland

The west coasts of both Ireland and Scotland boast some wonderful, and rarely crowded, beaches (this may be something to do with the weather, but faint hearts never find good beaches). This three-mile strip of silvery sand is as good as any, and deserves its European Union Blue Flag award. The beach is long and gently sloping, and is backed by some wonderful sand dunes that are perfect for rolling down or for taking shelter in before unwrapping the picnic hamper. The Shandon Hotel sits above a sheltered cove. There is wind-surfing, canoeing and sailing but the strand has so much space that you can find your own private corner.

Where to book:Shandon Hotel (00 353 74 36137) opens from March to October; B&B from €70 (£45) per person.

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